Chapter 1

Éowyn knew what was coming. After some days of respite, her summoning had arrived. Very soon, she would be asked questions that could not be answered. They would never believe a woman killed a Fell-beast; let alone a Nazgûl. And she knows they will ask about her uncle. His body had lain near hers, after all. The main thing she cannot explain though is why she lived. Why she was allowed to move on while the King lay at rest. That was a question she truly did not know the answer to.

As she made her way down the beaten halls of Minas Tirith, she willed away her fear…but one only had to look in her eyes to see her grief, and Aragorn was not a blind man. She knew he would be there, along with her brother. She only hoped that they would be patient with her.

The thought of facing Aragorn did scare her. He was the first person she had seen when she awakened. At the time, she thought she had died and went to heaven. Éowyn was not so lucky though. No matter how badly she wished for death, she lived. Now, she would face the world alone and hopeless. She knew that these dark days would never end for her.

Before stepping into the throne room, Éowyn takes a deep breath. Here we go... she thinks

Turning the corner, the first person she sees is Aragorn. He is speaking to the elf, Legolas, and Gandalf the White. The dwarf Gimli sits at a table with a plate of food, while her brother makes his way over to Aragorn. A strangely familiar man is there, with long brown hair and soft eyes. She only studies him for a moment until she sees Merry watching her.

Immediately, the hobbit breaks into a grin and rushes towards her. She can't help but smile and embrace him, thankful that he's alive. This hobbit knows her perhaps better than anyone else, save for her brother. Remembering Eomer, she looks towards him and notices his eyes on her. The room is hushed and it seems as though the air has thickened. Slowly, Éowyn stands and turns towards Aragorn. He is smiling, but there is a hardness in his eyes that is impossible to miss. Merry looks around, confused.

"You'd think they hadn't seen a woman for a year." He jests.

"Not a woman such as this." Aragorn says hardly. "Not a woman who seems to wish for death."

Éowyn stands straight. "I wish to fight for those I love."

Eomer breaks in, "Yes, but you seem to forget about those who love you. About those who would suffer if you were gone. Do they matter not to you, Éowyn?"

"Does not every warrior make that choice?" she asks.

"Yes, but you are no warrior!" he says sternly.

Éowyn looks at him with a steady gaze. She knew this was coming, and she would not grant him the satisfaction of seeing her annoyance.

"Wait," exclaims Merry, "I don't see what the problem is? What did Éowyn do wrong?"

"She played a part that was not meant for her to play and was nearly killed." answers Aragorn without looking away from Éowyn.

"Yes well so did I!" The hobbit proceeds, "Lord Théoden told me I would be a burden to his men, and still I came. Do I not deserve a conference as well?"

The dwarf speaks up, "No one's surprised you broke the rules, laddy. I'd bet that you've been breaking the rules since you took your first breath.

"You were not a burden, Merry." Says Aragorn coolly. "You were not so close to death when we discovered you. Nobody almost lost you."

Merry is clearly angry, "That's not fair!" he yells, "after everything she did in battle, you scold her? Why isn't she allowed to fight? She was braver than any man out there!"

"Merry!" Éowyn hisses, but it's too late.

"What kind of things in battle?" asks the stranger with the brown hair. "What makes her braver than any other man?" He says it without scorn.

As she studies the man, she realizes how she knows him. The night before, he looked at her from the courtyard while she sat at the window. In that glance, it was as though they knew each other. Now they are meeting, and the feeling is still present.

"Nothing." lies Éowyn, answering him.

"Nothing?" Merry yells. She tries to stop him, but to no avail. Merry speaks loudly, "She is the bravest person I have ever met! She severed the head of a Fell-beast and killed a Nazgûl!"

The room is silent. It is clear that no one believes him; they are only shocked by his boldness.

After a few seconds of stillness, Legolas speaks, "A Nazgûl cannot be killed," he says slowly, "And regardless of one's skill with a sword, severing the head of a Fell-beast is…impossible."

"Improbable; not impossible," Gandalf speaks out for the first time. Everyone turns to him. He looks at Legolas, "Elves are supposed to have the eyes of the eagles. Did your elf eyes not see the headless corpse of a Fell-beast lying near King Théoden?"

All eyes turn to Éowyn. Regardless of her position, she cannot suppress her sadness at the mention of her uncle. Her face briefly, but unmistakably, shows her anguish. When it passes, she looks at Aragorn with anger, wishing to be anywhere in the world but here.

"Impossible!" exclaims Eomer, "no man – or woman – would ever dream of killing a Nazgûl without reason. And I know Éowyn; she would NOT do an act so senseless for acknowledgment!"

Éowyn is silent. This is something she cannot speak of.

"What's even stranger," says Gandalf, "is that the only Nazgûl unaccounted for is the one that they say no man can kill."

"Another reason that she could NOT have done what the hobbit claims!" says her brother, passionately.

"But Éowyn is not a man." replies Gandalf. Again, the room is silent. Éowyn glances at the faces surrounding her. They know it is true. She lowers her eyes as her heart fills with dread. Nobody was ever supposed to find out! She did not want to be renowned for an act that did nothing. She did not want to explain to them why she took up arms against the impossible.

"Why?" whispers Aragorn, as though reading her thoughts.

Éowyn sighs, "I only did it to protect my King." She speaks quickly, "The Nazgûl was going to kill him. The only reason I ever fought was to shield him, and he is dead. I did nothing."

"What?" Merry exclaims, "My lady, you saved your uncle from a painful death. He died in peace because of you. That is NOT nothing."

"But still, he is dead," she whispers. She looks at the men around her and sees pity in their eyes. Only one man looks at her differently – the stranger. He looks at her with…understanding. She sees sadness in his eyes, much like her own, that causes hers to fill with tears. Holding them back, she declares one last thing.

"I do not want praise. I fought the same as any man fought. The only difference is that I lived." With that, she turns and walks away.